Device for forming heel lifts



F. V. HART.

DEVICE FOR FORMING HEEL LIFTS. APPLICATION FILED NOV,19. 191a.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l- F. v. HART. DEVICE FOR FORMING HEEL LIFTS. APPLICATION FILED NOV; 19, 19H}.

' 1,411,351, PatentedApr. 4, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED V HART, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS,-ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO

UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPO- RATION OF NEW JERSEY.

DEVICE FOR FORMING- HEEL LIFTS.

Application filed November 19, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED V. HART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Forming Heel Lifts; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to devices for forming heel-lifts from a plurality of pieces of leather or other sheet material, and particularly to gaging devices for properly positioning the component pieces thereof.

The component parts of a pieced heel lift are usually cut from scraps of leather whichnecessarily are of various shapes and sizes. In making a pieced heel-lift from three such pieces for example, it is customary to first position upon the cut-ting edge of the die the piece of leather from which the central component part of the lift is to be formed, and after thispiece is cut and forced down into the die by means of the usual cutting block brought against the cutting edge. the two remaining pieces of leather are successively placed on the cut ting edge in such positions that when they are similarly cut and forced into the die they will be arranged adjacent opposite edges of the central component part of the lift and in conjunction with it form a completed lift.

It is, of course, important that each of the outer component parts of a lift thus formed be of such a width that when the heel in which the lift embodied is trimmed to its final shape, these parts will extend into the heel suflicient distances to he sccurely held in position.

Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide means to assist the operator in properly positioning upon a liftcutting die the piece of leather or other material from which the central component part of a pieced lift is to be formed in order to ensure the outer component parts of the lift being formed of adequate width to be securely held in a trimmed heel.

To this end a feature of the invention contemplates a device for forming pieced lifts Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

Serial No. 263,193.

having a lift-cutting die and one or more adjustable gages to define the limits on the die within which it is proper to position the piece of leather or other material from which the central component part of the lift is to be formed.

With this and other objects in View the invention comprises certain novel and improved constructions, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be appreciated by those skilledin the art.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a well known form of lift cutting die with the gaging devices applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a viewin side elevation of two of the gaging devices located on opposite sides of the lift cutting die which is'shown in section; and Figs. 3, l, 5 and 6 are diagrammatical views illustrating the relative positions of parts of the improved gaging devices at different stages of operation.

The invention is shown in the drawings as applied to a lift cutting diet which projects vertically above a table 8. In Fig. 1 is illustrated by dot and dash lines the out lines of three scraps or pieces of leather or other material A, B and C positioned on the cutting edge 10 of the die and from which the component parts of a pieced heel-lift may be cut. 1

The illustrated embodiment of the invention is provided with means to define the limits within which the piece of material A from which the central component part of the pieced lift is to be formed should be placed on the cutting edge of the die, so that when this part of the lift is cut and forced down into the die, its longitudinal edges will be located suflicient distances from the corresponding ends of the die to the front and rear gages of each pair, as

shown in Fig. 1. This piece of material is cut by means of a block brought against the cutting edge of the die in the usual manner whichforces the cut-out portion of the piece of material down into the die to a position so that its top surface is slightly below the cutting edge of the die.

During this cutting operation the cutting lrlockalso depresses the gages slightly be tions. 1

low the cutting edge of the die and locking devices are provided which act to lock the gages in this position during the retraction of thecuttin block. The gages are thus held retracte in order that the pieces of materialfrom which the end parts of the lift are to be formed may be properly placed on the die and cut. These end pieces are )ositioned on the die and cut one at a time. .he roper positioning of an end piece on the the preliminary to the cutting operation is readily accomplished by deflecting the inner edge of the piece slightly after itis placed on the die and bringing it against the adjacent edge of the central piece, which central piece, as described, is positioned slightly below the cutting edge of the die. During the cutting of an end piece of material on the die, the cuttingblock effects the release of the gages located beneath this piece of material so that when the formati'on bf a lift has been completed, the gages havebeen returned to their normal posi- In the manufacture of a plurality of pieced lifts which are secured together with paste or other means as'the are formed in the die, it is customary to form the lifts alternately with their component parts generallyv extending transversely and longitu- (linally thereof. Accordin ly, the embodimerit of the invention 11 ustrated in the drawings is also provided with gages 12 arranged at the breast and rear ends of the cutting die as well as at the sides of the die. The gages at the ends of the die assist in the positioning of a piece of material longitudinally of the die to form the central (component part of a lift in the same manner as the gages at the sides of the die assist in the positionin of a central piece of material transversel y of the die,.both at the sides, and breast and rear ends of the cut ting die in order to assist in positioning the pieces of leather either transversely or lon gitudinally of the cutting edge of the die.

The gagesli are arranged in pair's in these positions and normally project above the cutting edge ofthe die. These gages consist of knobs formed on the inner ends of levers 14 which are pivoted-0n pins 16 projecting from supporting plates 18 pivoted on brackets 20 which are mounted on the table 8. To severally sustain the in yielding engagement with the cutting die, the supporting plates 18 are pressed toward the die by expansion springs 24 disposed between the outer ends of the supporting plates and the brackets 20. The gages are severally sustained in their normal positions (Figs, 2 and 3) by the engagement of tail pieces 26 on the levers 14 with shoulders 28 on locking levers 30 that are pivoted at 32 on the plates 18. The'levers 14- and the locking levers 30 are respectively sustained in engagement by the coil springs 34 and 36.

\Vhen the gages are thus arranged in pairs and it is desired to form a heel lift composed of three parts extending transversely thereof, a piece of leather A having its longitudinal edges trimmed straight as usual, is first positioned between each of the The piece of leather is cut and forced down into the die with its top face substantially in the plane of the cutting edge thereof to form the central component part of the lift, by means of a cutting block (not shown) that is brought against the cutting edge in the usual manner. As the ends of the piece of leather are positioned on the fingers 38, the latter are also forced downwardly by the cutting block which, through the levers 14, retracts the gages 12 to a position slightly below the cutting edge of the die (Fig. 5). The two pairs of side gages are locked in this position by the engagement of the tail pieces 26 of the levers 14 with the upper ends of the locking levers 30, as clearly last two successive cutting operations. the

side gages 12 are further retracted or depressed by the cutting block acting through the ends of the pieces of leather that are forced down upon the gages. This further retraction of the gages swings the upper ends of the locking levers 30 outwardly away from the levers 14 (Fig. 6) through the engagement of shoulders 42 on the levers 14 with inclined surfaces 44 on the locking levers 30. The locking levers are severally retained in this retracted position by shouls ders 45 on the lower arms thereof being brought into position to be engaged by upwardly spring-pressed latches 4E6 pivoted on the brackets 20. Upon the lip-stroke of the cutting block, the levers 14; are swung by their springs 34 in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 6, which cause the lower ends 48 of the levers 14- to force the latches l6 out of engagement with the looking levers 30. Thereby the springs'36 are permitted to swing the locking levers inwardly to bring'their shoulders 28 into engagement with the tail pieces 26 of the levers 14-, thus returning the ges 12 to their initial or normal positions, as shown in Fig. 3, in readiness for the formation of another heel-lift.

As the spacing of the two gages on each side. of the die determines the limits within which th central piece of material may be placed on the die and consequentlyrestricts the width of the piece, it is desirable in order to accommodate the gages to the difi'erent classes 016 Work and to different sizes of pieces and dies that they be severally adjustable about and also toward and from the die.

Such adjustment is effected, in the illustrated device by means of the brackets 20 upon which the gaging mechanisms are mounted, which brackets are adjust-ably secured to the table 8 by means of screws 50 and SlOttGCl lllgS 52/Theretore, said screws and slots are so arranged angularly to the contour of the die asto allow movement of the several brackets toward and from and about the die toeftect the desired adjustment of the gages. The are maintained in engagement with the cutting edge of the die irrespective of the adjustment of the brackets, by meanso f the upwardly spring-pressed plate 18.

The adjustment of the gages toward and from the die and about its cutting edge also permits the gages to be used to, advantage in the manufacture of lifts from more or less than three pieces of leather, and for such purposes it is desirable in some cases to employ a greater or a less number of gages.

In case a piece or material is placed on the die and cut out to form a one-piece lift, it will be seen from the foregoing description that the gages which are engaged by the pieces will be merely moved to their lowermost positions, whence they are released and returned. to their normal. positions on the upstroke of the cutting block.

When, the cutting bloclr is brought down upon a gage without a piece of material. between the block and gage, the lever 14 will not he moved sufliciently to effect the engagement of the tail piece 26 and the end of the lever 30 (Fig. 4) so that upon the rip-stroke oi? the cutting block the gage will be returned to its normal position. It will be seen that the breast and rear gages will be actuated in this manner during the cutting of the central piece oi? material A.

In forming a lift of pieces of material extending generally in a longitudinal direction, it will bennderstood that the gages 12 located at the breast and rear end of the die are utilized in a manner similar to that already described, while the gages 12 disposed at the sides of the die remain idle. In other words, the central component piece is located selectively with respect to principal axes of the cutting edge of the die that is, extending a line which bisects the area defined by the cutting edge of the die or, alternatively,

along another line which intersects the firstmentioned line and also bisects the area with in. the cutting edge of the die.

It is to be understood that while the invention is particularly adapted for use in the manutacture of pieced lifts, certain features oi the invention are useful "for other purposes, and therefore the invention is not limited to any particular device or type of device, or to any particular construction and arrangement of parts, but that the invention may be embodied in any form within the scopeol: the claims.

The nature and scope of the present invention having been indicated and a device embodying the several features of the invention in their preferred form having been specifically shown and described, what is claimed is:' j

l. A device for forming a pieced heel-lift from pieces of leather or other material having, in combination, a heel-lift cutting die upon which the pieces for a single lift are successively placed and cut,"and means for. determining the position on the die of the first of said pieces with respect to another piece to be placed on the die subsequently to the first piece.

A devicerfor forminga heel-lift from pieces of leather or other'material having, in combination, a heel-lift cutting die upon which the pieces are placed and out, and gaging means disposed adjacent opposite edges of the die to determine the position to place one of the pieces on the die.

3. A device for forming a pieced heel-lift of pieces of leather orother material having, in combination, a heel-lift cutting die upon which the pieces tor a single lil t are succesplaced and cut, and a retractable gage projecting beyond the cutting edge of the die to determine the position on the die of the first of said pieces with respect to another piece to be placed on the die subsequently to the first piece.

4:. A device for forming a heel-lift of axis; 35

ing, in combination, a heel-11ft cutting die,

of spaced ga es capable of independent movement at t e sides, breast and rear ends of the die.

6. A device for acting on a piece of leather or other material having, in combination, a die, a gage normally project-ing beyond the edge of the die and adapted to be retracted, lockin means for retaining the gage in retractet position, and means for releasing said lockin means.

7. A device for acting on a piece of leather or other material having, in combination, a die, a gage normally projecting beyond the edge of the die and adapted tobe retracted, locking means for retaining the gage in retracted position, means for releasing said locking means, and means for restoring said gage to normal position.

8. A device for forming a heel-lift having, in combination, a heel-liftcutting die, a gage adjacent the cutting edge of the die, a support therefor, means for adjusting the support toward and from the die, and means for yieldingly holding the gage against the cuttingedge of the die irrespective of the adjust'ment of said support.

9. A device for forming a heel-lift having, in combination, a heel-lift cutting die, a gage adjacent the cutting edge of the die, and another gage located on the opposite sideof a principal axis of the cutting edge of the die to cooperate with the first gage in locating a piece of material with respect to said 10. A device for forming a heellift havand an adjustable gage yieldingly held a ainst the cutting edgeof the die irrespective of the adjustment thereof.

11. A device for forming heel'lifts having, in combination, a heel' liftv cutting die, and a pair'of gages adjacent an edge thereof capable of being adjusted toward and from each other.

12. A device for forming heel-lifts from pieces of leather or other material having, in combination, a heel-lift cutting die upon which the pieces of material are placed and cut, and gages at the sides, breast and rear ends of the die to determine the position to place one of the pieces of material either transversely or longitudinally of the die.

13. A device for forming a composite blank composed of a plurality of pieces of sheet material extending longitudinally in the same plane in generally parallel side by side relation having, in combination, a die, provided with a cutting edge of the contour of the blank to be formed, upon which the component pieces are successively positioned and cut, and means for determining the lateral position on the die to place one of the component pieces of material.

14. A device for forming a heel-lift from three pieces of leather or other material hav: ing, in combination, a heel-lift cutting die upon which the component pieces of the lift are placed and cut, and means fordetermining the position on the die to place the central component piece. 7

15. A device for forming a heel lift from pieces of leather or other material having, in combination, a heel lift cutting die upon which the pieces of material are successively placed and cut, and means for determining the proper size piece of material to be first acted upon and for determining the position on the die to place this piece of material.

16. A device for forming a heel lift from pieces of leather or other material having, in combination, a heel lift cutting die upon which the pieces are successively placed and cut, and means for determining the proper size piece of material to be first acted upon.

17. Adevice for forming a heel lift from pieces of leather orother material having, in combination, a heel lift cutting die upon which the pieces are placed and cut, and means to determine the position to place one of the pieces on the die comprising two gages arranged about the cutting edge of the the piece of material is 7 die between which placed. 7

18. Adevicefor forming a pieced heel lift from pieces of leather'or other material comprising a heel lift cutting die upon which the pieces for a single lift are successively placed and cut, and means for determining the position on the cuttingedge of the die of the first of said pieces with respect to a principal axis of said cutting edge.

19. A device for forming a pieced heel lift frompieces of leather or other material com-.

prising a heel lift cutting die upon which the pieces for a single lift are successively placed and cut, and gaging means disposed on opposite sides of a principal axis of the cutting edge of the die for determining the position on the die of one of said pieces.

20. A device for forming a pieced heel lift from pieces of leather or other material comprising a heel lift cutting die upon which the pieces for a single lift are successively placed and cut, and gaging means for determining the position on the die of the first of said pieces with respect to pieces subsequently to be placed on the die on each side of the said first piece.

FRED V. HART.

Certificate of Correctiom It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 1,411,351, granted April l, 1922, upon the application of Fred V. Hart, of Lynn, Massachusetts, for an improvement in De'vioes for Forming l-leel Lifts an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction as follows: Page 52, line 51, commencing With the oomma'end the Word both strike out all to and including the Word die, line 54:; and that the said Letters Patent should he read With this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ollice.

Signed and sealed this 10th day of October, A. D., 1922.

[silent] W. A. KINNAN,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

